GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH PROPOSAL WRITING IN THE PROJECT WORK

1. Choosing your Research Topic:

a) Is the topic novel and original?

b) Is the topic too long, too short, or just right given all other constraints?

c) What is your own style?

d) Do you have a passion for the topic you choose?

e) Did you pick a topic you can manage?

f) Are you going to choose the topic first and decide the objectives later or objectives first and
decide the topic later?

2. Statement of the problem (one or two page (s)):

a) What are the main theoretical, conceptual, methodological and substantive issues in the field
you are going to study?

b) How much research has been done to answer the question?

c) Why haven’t other researchers answered this question?

d) What are the inadequacies of the previous answers to this question?

e) What are the theoretical and conceptual contributions already made and what are the new
frontiers?

f) What are the gaps? You may wish to write a statement of problem and literature review
separately.

3. Review of Literature:

a) Have you critically assessed and evaluated the material in order to develop your own analytical
approach and/or relate it to new aspects of inquiry?

b) Have you identified the authors’ arguments accurately?

c) Whether the arguments you are examining is logically consistent internally and meets its own
objectives?
 d) Are you able to locate a particular report or article in relation to others?

e) Do you know the argument you want to develop?

f) Is your argument logical and consistent?

4. Rationale (half page):

a) How will the proposed work contribute towards solving the problem?

b) Why bother with this question (s)?

c) How does this question illuminate a larger set of questions in the field?

d) Why is the problem significant?

e) What conclusions can be derived from this research question?

f) What kind of theoretical, applied will be made from this study?

g) What are the research hypothesis?

5. Theoretical Implications / Conceptual Framework / Flow Chart (optional: half to one page):

a) Do you intend to test a theory? If so, what is it?

b) What will be your theoretical aim?

c) What will be the range of the theory?

d) What is your theoretical / conceptual framework?

e) Instead of theoretical or conceptual framework, do you intend to use a flow chart? If so, how
comprehensive and clear is your flow chart?

f) Is there anything missing?

6. Objectives (half page):

a) What is the general objective of your research?

b) What are the specific objectives?

c) Are they realistic?

 d) Is there a fit between your objectives and the topic?

e) If there is a mismatch, do you want to stick with the topic or the objectives and change the other
accordingly?

7. Methodology (two to three pages):

a) What is the target population of your research?

b) Are you familiar with the field site? If not, have you done a reconnaissance survey of the field
site?

c) What is the relationship between the research topic, objectives and research methods?

d) What is the justification for your chosen research methods?

e) Does that justification tie in with the project’s objectives and questions?

f) What exactly and how exactly you are going to collect data?

g) What are the instruments of data collection?

h) Are you going to use checklist (s)?

i) Are you going to use observation sheets?

j) Are you going to use field notes (diary, daily log, journal, substantive journal or notebooks),
photography, and field-based collections?

k) Are you going to pre-test your instruments before finalization?

l) Do you have efficient techniques and tools to adopt those approaches?

m) This part covered material and methods, which should be clearly stated about the problem
solving approach.

n) Did you mention about experimentation and testing procedures relevant to you work?

8. Expected outcomes / Results / Conclusions (two to three pages):

a) Researchers can be described tentatively about the possible outcomes /results, and conclusions
accordingly as per the problem statement and objectives you have made.

b) Did you organize the section and sub-sections appropriately that can address the research
questions (objectives) in a logical sequence?
 c) Did you state about the relevant results and discussions in sufficient headings and subheadings?

d) Did you use visual aids like figures and tables?

e) Did you compare or correct your work with available literatures you have gone through during
your work?

f) Did you focus on theoretical and practical implications of the results?

g) Is your conclusion is brief summary of entire work or not?

h) Are the key conclusions from the results based on results only and relevant to objectives and
research questions?

i) Did you mention about the recommendation for the further study or its possible applications?

9. Audience (one paragraph):

a) Who are the audience(s) of your proposed research (committee members, advisors, review
committee, academic community, development agencies etc.)?

b) What kind of people will benefit from your research?

c) What kinds of professional and academic people would be interested in your work?

10. Time schedule (half page):

a) What are the different phases of the research?

b) How much time is required for each activity?

c) Is break down time to different activities realistic?

d) Is your schedule practical based on the nature of the research, and requirements of the
concerned funding agency and academic institution?

e) Is there enough time for report write up?

11. References (tentative):

Tentatively you may include following references as per standard format of writing references

a) Code of practices

b) Soil investigation reports

c) Books or papers related to Structural analysis and designs

d) Structural and Geotechnical analysis and design tools

e) Design examples of structural and geotechnical analysis and design

f) Design code of practices and norms for seismic designs

g) Nepal national building codes – 20 volumes

h) Norms for Kathmandu Metropolitian city, and

i) Other relevant literatures /publications